The most important part of this process is registering your kit before shipping it. All five services require this, and if you don't do it, you won't be able to access your results. This requirement is to protect your privacy—your name won't appear on the kit or the results—and to easily track your kit as it goes through the process. Of course, when you sign up for an account with these services, your identity will be associated with it, but the sample and any reports stored on the service's end will just have a unique barcode.

In this case, I would recommend two options: 1. Ancestry.com – If you choose to take their DNA test, you can also take advantage of their family tree feature. Your DNA test results would be compared to other samples in the database. Combining this, with a manual lookup you can do, you might trace relatives on your father’s lineage. 2.LivingDNA – LivingDNA provides a separate unique analysis of the paternal lineage. This analysis will give you an in-depth picture of your father’s heritage. The only drawback is that LivingDNA database is relatively small (compared to ancestery.com and other big competitors). You can bridge that gap using GEDMatch service, by uploading your raw DNA data (acquired by LivingDNA). You can read more about GEDMatch here. Good luck and I hope you would find what you are looking for!
If you have the Health + Ancestry Service you have access to the full 23andMe experience. If you only have the Ancestry Service, you can easily upgrade to the Health + Ancestry Service for £90 which gives you access to all 125+ reports on ancestry, traits and health. You are eligible to upgrade once you have received your Ancestry reports. To upgrade, log in to your 23andMe account and navigate to the Settings page. You will receive immediate access to your new health reports.
Looking at your raw DNA file might not give you any useful information unless you’re looking for a specific marker. You can also upload the file into a third-party DNA databases for information or results beyond what’s available from your testing company. This process is not without risks, as your DNA testing company only ensures the security of your personal information in its own environment. Once you download the file, you’re responsible for the file’s security. However, uploading your raw DNA to a third party database isn’t inherently unsafe — just be cautious.
In McCartney’s view, enough testing is already done in this country (sometimes too much) and there are issues of regulation and “informed consent”. “People are given very dramatic reasons to have these tests – it could help save your life, it could help improve the quality of your life – but where is the actual controlled evidence that these tests have ever done that? There’s no evidence that says doing these tests makes people become healthier.”
If you have the Health + Ancestry Service you have access to the full 23andMe experience. If you only have the Ancestry Service, you can easily upgrade to the Health + Ancestry Service for £90 which gives you access to all 125+ reports on ancestry, traits and health. You are eligible to upgrade once you have received your Ancestry reports. To upgrade, log in to your 23andMe account and navigate to the Settings page. You will receive immediate access to your new health reports.
The most important part of this process is registering your kit before shipping it. All five services require this, and if you don't do it, you won't be able to access your results. This requirement is to protect your privacy—your name won't appear on the kit or the results—and to easily track your kit as it goes through the process. Of course, when you sign up for an account with these services, your identity will be associated with it, but the sample and any reports stored on the service's end will just have a unique barcode.
A. DNA Clinics do not offer free DNA testing. The service in the UK for establishing genetic biological relationships is predominantly carried out by the private sector. The NHS does not offer DNA testing for paternity or other relationships. Companies offering free DNA testing are falsely advertising the service. DNA Clinics provide the DNA test kit free of charge, with payment for the test due on return of your samples.
In fairness to 23andME, it leaves it up to the customer to unlock the more serious results – or not. When I unlock mine, I discover that, while I’m not genetically predisposed to such things as the BRAC1 or BRAC2 variant, Parkinson’s or MS, I have one of the variants for late-onset (mid-80s) Alzheimer’s. However, I don’t have any other markers for Alzheimer’s or family history or conditions associated with it or anything else listed in the rather lengthy disclaimer, which also stresses that it’s not a diagnostic result and to seek further advice from your GP if you are concerned.
The first kit I try is Thriva’s baseline test (£49), which, like all its products, checks your blood. The box arrives promptly enough (containing spring-loaded needles, a little collection tube, antiseptic wipes, plasters, etc), but there’s a problem. The idea is to prick your finger and massage blood into the tube, but I just end up making my fingers sore and what I get out barely smears the top of the phial. Maybe it’s just me, but it turns into a right faff. In the end, I take advantage of Thriva’s service to send someone out to take a sample of blood from my arm.